Binocular sight for firearms



INVENTOR. fimzye lueblwn G. C. LUEBKEMAN BINOCULAR SIGHT FOR FIREARMS Filed May 27, 1957 March 8, 1960 United States Patent BINOCULAR SIGHT FOR FIREARMS George C. Luebkeman, Cincinnati, Ohio Application May 27, 1957, Serial No. 661,970

1 Claim. (CI. 33-47) The present invention relates to improvements in a gun sight that is the subject matter of my copending application for Binocular Shooting Aid filed August 8, 1952 and given Serial Number 303,373, now Patent No. 2,799,936, by the United States Patent Oflice. The device of this application is particularly directed to a gun sight for use in wing shooting by both left and right hand gunners using the recommended binocular vision method of shooting, whilst permitting use of the gun for straight, one eye shooting, when desired.

The main object of the invention is to provide a binocular sight comprising an elongated body that has an upwardly opening groove formed co-extensive therein, said groove being perceptible by the aiming eye of the gunner to the exclusion of the non-aiming eye for aiding the gunner in attaining accurate binocular shooting.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sight having the foregoing characteristics that will conform so nearly to the shape of a conventional gun barrel as to be unnoticed by the casual observer and be acceptable by all sportsmen.

In order to attain the foregoing objects a gun barrel is provided with a grooved and rearwardly tapered rib that has its forward end located at the front end of the barrel while its rear terminal end blends imperceptibly with the base of the rib. My binocular sight is used with a gun barrel provided with the usual bead sight, or/and the like, the forward end of the rib is located just behind the bead sight. The rib is characterized by the fact that its base portion has the same heightwise dimension throughout its longitudinal extent and is bisected by a vertical plane containing the axis of the barrel. The overall height of the base is such that the bead sight is wholly above the base. Two laterally spaced, rearwardly tapered flanges extend upwardly from the sides of the rib base and are co-extensive with the base, the forward portions of said flanges rising slightly above the top of the bead sight, where such sights are used, whilst the rear end portions of the flanges blend smoothly with the rear end surface of the base. The flanges are spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the transverse dimension of the bead sight.

These and other important objects and advantages of the invention are attained by the means described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a fragmental, side elevational view of a shot gun barrel having one form of my gun sight associated therewith.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmental, side elevational view of a modified form of my gun sight applied to a ventilated type shot gun barrel.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged section taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Patented Mar. 8, 1960 Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 are sectional views showing modified forms of my gun sight.

Fig. 10 is a fragmental, side elevational view of another modification of my binocular gun sight.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged section taken on line 11-11 of Fig. 10.

My sight may be permanently mounted on any type of guns susceptible of use with the binocular vision method of shooting and said sight is shown in the drawings by way of illustration, as associated with two kinds of single barrelled shot guns. Referring now to Figs. 1-5 of the drawings in detail the shot gun barrel 10 is provided with what is known as a solid sight which takes the form of an upstanding, elongated rib 11 formed integrally on the barrel and extending from a point closely adjacent the usual bead or globular sight 12 on the forward end of the barrel to a terminus approaching the rear end portion of the barrel. As most clearly shown in Fig. 3 the globular sight 12 is conventionally positioned upon a platform 13 that rises about above the top of the gun barrel and with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 it will be noted that the solid base 14 of the rib has that same heightwise dimension throughout its longitudinal extent and that as shown in Figs. 2 and 4 said base is laterally bisected by the vertical plane that passes through the axis of the barrel 10. The heightwise dimension of this base 14 is also about whereby the top of the rib base is on a level with the top of the platform 13 whereby the globular sight 12 is mounted on the barrel in a position wholly above the level of the solid base 14 of the sight.

Two identically shaped and laterally spaced, rearwardly tapering flanges or fins 15 and extend upwardly from the sides of the rib base 14, the top edges of the forward end portions of the flanges rising slightly higher than the top of the globular sight 12 and maintaining that height for a distance of about 2", rearwardly of the globular sight. Behind the forward two inches of the flanges, said flanges gradually taper downwardly and rearwardly until they blend, imperceptibly with the top of the rib base 14 at its rear end portion.

With reference to Figs. 2 and 4 it will be seen that the inner confronting faces of the flanges are formed on a common radius to thereby form an upwardly facing longitudinal groove 16 in the rib that has a semicircular bottom in lateral section, the flanges being spaced apart a distance slightly greater than the diameter of the globular sight 12 in order that light may be perceived on both sides of said sight 12 when sighting down the groove 16, with the aiming eye.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings the gun barrel 17 is provided with a ventilated sight rib 18 that has a base 19 which is positioned on the barrel in spaced relation therewith on suitable, longitudinally spaced apart standards 20. The globular sight 21 is positioned upon a platform 22 which is preferably integral with sight rib base 19 and is secured to the forward end portion of the barrel in the usual manner.

As in the case of the sight shown in Figs. 1-5 the top of the base 19 is on a level with the top of the bead supporting platform 22 so that the globular bead is wholly abve the base and that laterally spaced apart flanges 23 and 230 extend upwardly from the base 19 and rise above the top of the bead at their forward ends, said flanges tapering downwardly and rearwardly to the level of the base 19 at the rear end portion of said base.

With reference to Fig. 6 it will be noted that the flanges 23 and 230 are gradually tapered from their forward end portions to their rear termini.

Figs. 8 and 9 show further modifications of my invention and with reference to Fig. 8 it will be seen that the sight of this invention may be mounted on the usual solid.

aaa'navs rib 24 of a shot gun barrel 25 and that the sight 26 may be channel-shaped in lateral section and permanently mounted on the rib 24 by means of welding, soldering or the like. It is also contemplated that my sight may have the lateral configuration illustrated in Fig. 9 wherein it will be noted that a groove 27 in the sight rib 28 has the lateral form of an inverted frustum of a cone.

With reference to Figs. and 11 which show a further modification of my invention the numeral 29 indicates a shot gun barrel that has my binocular rib 30 mounted on the forward portion thereof, said barrel being devoid of the usual globular sight or the like. The rib has a base 31 that has the same heightwise dimension throughout the longitudinal extent of the sight and has flanges 32 and 320 extending upwardly from opposite sides of the base, these flanges tapering rearwardly from the front to the rear of the gun barrel.

In the execution of binocular wing shooting with the gun sight of this invention the gunner uses two eyes in aiming the gun at a moving target. Usually the right eye of the gunner is the stronger and the gunner is generally right handed but in the event the particular gunner has a stronger left eye it is recommended that he shoot left handed when employing the binocular wing shooting method. Now a gunner in the split second act of aiming and firing a gun with my sight thereon will receive a clear unobstructed image of the groove in my sight with his shooting eye whilst his non-shooting eye will not receive the groove image at all but will see a side of the tapered flange of the rib, the said flange having a tapered configuration will be almost imperceptible and will not in any way control or interfere with the training of the gun on the target with the aiming eye of the gunner.

When a globular or bead sight is used with a gun having my sight the gunner in the act of aiming and firing the gun will receive a clear and unobstructed image of the globular sight within the groove with his aiming eye whilst one of the rearwardly tapering side flanges of my sight will effectively but imperceptibly conceal the globular sight from the non-aiming eye. Thus a true head can be drawn on the moving target by the use of my sight by either a right handed or a left handed gunner, the tapered rear portion of the sight precluding all light reflection to the non-aiming eye which might distract the gunner on taking a true aim at the said target.

The foregoing disclosure is to be regarded as descrip' tive and illustrative only, as it will be apparent that those skilled in the art may make various modifications therein within the scope of the appended claim, as for example, the side flanges of my sight may have configurations other than the tapered forms shown such as a greater or a smaller taper or no taper whatever.

What is claimed is:

A binocular sight for firearms having a barrel provided with an existing front sight, such as a ball sight, comprising an elongated, continuous rib mounted upon the barrel entirely behind the front sight and extending along the barrel from its foremost end located adjacent and rearwardly of the front sight to a point near the rear end of said barrel, said rib having a base bisected longitudinally by a vertical plane containing the longitudinal center axis of the barrel and having a uniform height throughout its longitudinal extent that is below the bot torn level of the front sight, said rib having two laterally spaced apart fins co-extensive with the base and projecting upwardly from the sides of said base, said fins extending above the top level of the sight at the front of the rib and tapering downwardly and rearwardly therefrom and having their rear portions blending closely with the top surface of the rear end of the base, the fins being positioned equal distances on opposite sides of and substantially parallel to said vertical plane and being laterally spaced apart a distance greater than the lateral dimension of the from sight, whereby the aiming eye of the gunner will be presented with the front sight positioned within and spaced from the fins and above the base whilst the exterior side of one of the fins will conceal the front sight from the non-aiming eye of the gunner.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,226,952 Dyer May 22, 1917 2,799,936 Luebkeman July 23, 1957 2,809,433 Martinek Oct. 15, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 141,663 Germany d. June 24, 1903 

